Discussing how to build a boot drive solely for gaming purposes.
Discussing how to build a boot drive solely for gaming purposes.
I have a Windows desktop with my work applications, a massive 2 TB HD for samples and libraries, and a small 1 TB SSD for games. I also use a third SSD for installing game files during boot. Switching between Nvidia and studio drivers can be frustrating. I’m considering replacing the game drive with a fresh Windows 10 install, so all gaming stuff stays there while keeping my personal work separate. I want a dedicated game drive where everything is optimized for gaming—no personal accounts or sensitive info, just a clean environment. Also, I need to know if it’s possible to make the E drive completely inaccessible during boot, so no other drives can be reached or used.
I haven't tried this before, but I suggest using something like BitLocker to encrypt each drive separately. Another option is setting up a removable swap drive or disabling admin access to the drives you want to keep private.
The simplest method is to employ BitLocker and encrypt the hard drive.
I don’t know much about BitLocker yet. It might be worth looking into it. Encrypting your C and D drives before creating a bootable E drive could help. Would this cause problems with audio work on the C drive, especially if your samples are on the D drive? You’d like the C drive to stay accessible from the D drive without letting the E drive touch C or D.
You can reach the drive on any operating system using the key (remember to protect it).
When using BitLocker, keep in mind that if your hardware doesn’t have a TPM, you’ll need to type in a password each time the system starts. If BitLocker relies on a TPM, certain options like automatic recovery and multiple boot entries won’t work unless you enable them manually. An alternative is to apply Group Policy settings in Windows for the game drive, which blocks access to other storage devices. It’s wise to set up two user accounts—one with full privileges for installing or changing policies, and another for regular use so games don’t require admin rights while running, helping prevent cheats from interfering with system protections.